1997 Mazda Millenia S from North America - Comments

4th Feb 2005, 13:07

The 99 Millenia S is somewhat nice. We purchased it and in the beginning we had many problems with hard starting and smoke, but that was all covered by warranty. It now has 113,000 miles on it and it has been pretty solid for a number of years. Recently the check engine light came on with a code for the cat's to be be replaced. $1575.00 including labor from the mazda dealership (might be a little cheaper from local mechanic) I also just had the ABZ or ABC, not sure vaccum solenoid replaced ($339) from dealership. The car was stuttering and bucking and the only thing that would stop it was to shut it off and restart. All in all the car has been okay. If I had known about how expensive the repairs would be, I would have went with something else. I mean we are just talking about a four door mazda, no matter how much you try. Miller Cycle difference isn't worth the trouble...

18th Jul 2005, 16:01

We have had our 1995 Millenia S since it had 20,000 miles on it. Due to a dealership repair error, the engine melted at 60,000 and was replaced at no out of pocket cost; but it did take 3 months to crate over a fresh engine from Japan.

Now with about 160,000 miles on the body, the transmission is refusing to shift into reverse and is very hesitant to even shift into any driving gear. I am contemplating a total rebuild (about $2,000) and am wondering if it is worth it. The engine, mind you has only 100,000 miles on it. Any suggestions?

13th Nov 2005, 21:14

Millenia 98 bought it with 83000 miles, the check light engine is always on. Transmission refused to work after 129000 miles. Repair cost $ 2200 (rebuilt). TCS continues to go off when in 3000 rpm or more, I still have not gotten a good diagnostic to the problem from several mechanics that have looked into it. I love this car, but parts are very expensive. Car has good design.

8th Apr 2006, 23:19

Let me preface this. This is the nicest and most fun car to drive I have ever owned.

One annoying problem the traction control system will randomly turn on and limit the rpm to 2500 while the traction control system off light is on.

This is remedied by turning engine off and restarting.

I have not bothererd the dealer with repairing this as it is infrequent and random and I know how to reset it.

Other than that it is the nicest car I have ever owned.

And I have tried to start it while it was running, it's that quiet. Power to spare, pass anything on the road. Great cornering, and braking, sound system equals premium aftermarket. And it is a very quiet ride with all of the gaskets and insulation.

I will probably buy another one because if you want BMW, Lexus, Acura, Mercedes performance, but can't afford it, buy a Millenia S. Thank Mazda engineering for building a car their marketing department couldn't afford to market against the established big boys. They look nice and you get high end performance for less than the price of a medicocre Camry, a lot of car for the money.

They can get 26 plus mpg if you can keep your foot light on the pedal. I regularly get 20 everyday with a lead foot.

PS: Top speed 142. I can only verify 125 on the speedo and still pulling strong. I do not have any speeding tickets to back this up.

17th Aug 2006, 11:00

I own a 1995 Millenia S with 100K miles. For the first 8 months the car ran great. I loved it's sharp appearance and many people often mistake it for a more expensive car. I only payed $6K for it back in 2001. However after 8 months the car's "TCS OFF" light began to come on causing the car to lose power, shift improperly, and sputter out. I could pull over, restart the car and be good for another 5-15 miles until the light came on again.

After two dealerships and thousands in repair costs the car still acts the same. The dealerships cannot identify the problem even through diagnostic tests. They suggested a new tranny, but could not guarantee correction of the problem.

Repairs and parts for the car are really expensive. I loved the car for the first 8 months, but now curse the devil that has been sitting in my garage for the past few years. I have found similar complaints on the net.

23rd Aug 2006, 06:54

I just recently bought a 97' Millenia, and my check engine light is always on. The mechanic said that it was the 02 sensor and that it will not affect the performance.

Recently I experienced the bucking/hesitation, and when I had it checked out, it was bad spark plugs and a cracked air intake hose. Once those things were fixed, the car has run better than ever (it has 113,000 miles on it).

7th Dec 2006, 10:54

I bought a '97 Millenis S with 22k miles in 1999. It now has 153k+ miles and runs like an absolute champ. I just finished a second timing belt replacement ($900) and replaced the water pump... Not cheap to repair this car, but I've kept up with the regular maintenance, oil changes, etc. and still get almost 30 mpg at highway speeds. This car doesn't look 10 years old and has always been fun to drive. I am however beginning to see corrosive damage to the rear wheel wells and suggest to any owners who don't have this problem to treat the area before this occurs. In short, I love this car!

14th Jan 2007, 16:51

I purchased the Mazda Millenia S in 1999. It was running like a champ until a couple of years ago when I began to have the recurring check engine light problem. I was told it was the O2 sensor and paid too much money to have one replaced only to find another go bad. After having the 120,000 mile service, the Check Engine light appeared again. This time it was my Catalytic Converter. I am hearing this is a common problem with this vehicle and am wondering if it is worth the time and energy to fix it. It has a nice ride and I have loved this car, but riding around with a check engine light on is unacceptable, especially after I have tolerated the expensive upkeep on this car for years. I wish I would have bought the Acura TL.

6th May 2007, 20:54

17th Jun 2007, 05:08

We bought a 2000 Mazda Millenia in 2002, with 37,000 miles on it. The check engine light has been on for about a year and a half. The dealership told me there was nothing wrong and that it would not hurt being on. Well just yesterday brought it in to have it checked again and they said it was the vacuum T changed it out for almost 400.00. Today riding, seems everything is fine and out of the blue the tcs off light appeared and car started to sputter could barely get it to go. I got home with it turned the engine off and restarted it again and the light was off, so I tried to drive it again and everything seems fine. Can anyone tell me what is the next step to getting this fixed? I don't want to have to pull to the side of the road and restart to be able to travel anywhere. I'm going to call the Mazda dealership that did the repairs, but reading some of the blog I'm not sure what they will actually be able to do for me. Will this end up causing me a lot of grief?? Oh and another thing has anyone had trouble with the door locks? On my car the two passenger doors will not unlock and they make this horrible sound when you try to lock or unlock. I also read that someone was having trouble with the catalic converter( not sure if I spelled that right). We also had to change that at about 60,000 miles. And to think this was the second Mazda that I bought. And again I'm attracted to another Mazda now, the CX7. But I know that I would never buy it no matter how much I like it!!